General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Trojan Horse President [View all]raindaddy
(1,370 posts)You can't promise to change the way we do business in Washington, including running the most transparent administration in history and then act like you're being inconvenienced when people expect full disclosure when it comes to game changing policy like NSA spying and trade bills that hand corporations the power to undermine laws that protect the public and not have your image tarnished.. And it's not Pitt, Stiglitz or Warren tarnishing his image, it's Barack Obama...
"More and more, the real business of our democracy isn't done in town halls or public meetings or even in the open halls of Congress," Obama said. "Decisions are made in closed-door meetings, or with the silent stroke of the President's pen, or because some lobbyist got some Congressman to slip his pet project into a bill during the dead of night. We have to take the blinders off the White House. The more people know about what's going on in Washington, and how their tax dollars are being spent, and who's raising money for who, the less likely it is that major decisions will be hijacked by lobbyists and special interests."
"I know it's easy to be cynical about politics in this country," Obama said. "I understand that cynicism. But I've always said that when the American people are paying attention -- when they're involved and engaged and informed about what's going on in their government -- then good things happen. I've spent my life trying to open up the political process to people, and I believe we can do it again. And when we do that, we will have a government that listens to their voices and finally responds to their best hopes once more."
Its like being in kindergarten, said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), whos become the leader of the opposition to President Barack Obamas trade agenda. You give back the toys at the end.
"It is incomprehensible to me that the leaders of major corporate interests who stand to gain enormous financial benefits from this agreement are actively involved in the writing of the TPP while, at the same time, the elected officials of this country, representing the American people, have little or no knowledge as to what is in it,"
-Bernie Sanders